The blog and writing archive of David Roark

Savages Capsule Review

Originally, I was supposed to review Savages for Paste, but due to some personal matters, I had to pass on the review. Here was my introduction, which makes for a sort of capsule review:

Whatever you do, don’t listen to all the chatter—Savages doesn’t mark the “return” of Oliver Stone. That’s not just because he never went anywhere, but it’s also because his new film is simply passable. Whereas the veteran director usually says it like it is—a straightforwardness I find refreshing—here he wallows in ambiguity. His half Buddhist, half pro-drug message gets muddled in an over-extended, sometimes exciting slosh of pulp.